Stranded Together
by Nukoko
Summary: They shared an infinite hell together and had come to an understanding yet when the resolution was within reach, forces beyond their knowledge and understanding had interfered. Now they find themselves stranded in different realities. Accompany them as they travel through realities that have lost sense and logic in order to find the world 'he' called home.
1. The god and the High school student

**Salutations! Here I present one of the many ideas that had been plaguing my brain for quite a while now and had been preventing me from actually working on my main story...**

**Hence I present to you, a story of Kamijou Touma and Othinus. A rather light hearted one that tries to keep the general feel and vibe of the original light novel. I would like to clarify that my knowledge of the Indexverse is _far_ from perfect and so I can and will make mistakes so go easy on me.**

**The story will mostly be lighthearted and comedic**

**Disclaimer: I do not own To Aru Majustu no Index, both old and new testament, as well as the many wonderful characters it has.**

**==[Stranded Together]==**

Kamijou Touma, known as the imagine breaker or 'that level 0', had been put into many strange and even dangerous situations before. Whether it was being gassed from his own room and pushed off a plane, having to fight in a war and crossing the snowy tundra of Russia, fighting enemies that could only be considered monstrosities, or the many unfortunate and accidental incidents that labelled him as a pervert, the existence called Kamijou Touma could confidently boast that there were very few things that could actually unnerve him too much at this point.

It wasn't arrogance of course. He was still fully aware of his limitations, still fully aware that he aside from the right hand he had that could dispel both the power of god and that of the devil, he was still an ordinary high school student. He simply felt that considering the stuff he had gone through he was at the very least confident that he could keep a calm enough mind in most if not all tense situations.

After all, if he was able to survive the incident with a certain scantily clad magic god that involved being plunged into an infinite hell that could easily destroy one's sanity and be made to experience death in almost every possible way imaginable, then it was a given that very few things in life could daunt you.

Of course that should've been the case. However something to note is that the universe and Kamijou Touma had never really seen eye to eye on certain things and hence the universe had gone out of its way to immediately prove him wrong.

"Hmm… is this what the mortals usually use to entertain themselves? This is rather entertaining"

The aforementioned scantily clad magic god commented as she busied herself with the PSP in her hands. She displayed an unusual amount of concentration. It had only been a short time since Kamijou had introduced her to modern forms of entertainment and to his surprise Othinus had been able to learn it fast without issue. Even the game she was playing right now was only briefly explained to her an hour or so ago and yet she was already able to grasp how it's played.

If he was being slightly more honest, he was hoping that the magic god was the kind of character that was hopeless with modern technology and would cutely puff her face out after failing to understand its workings but that was just him being presumptuous. He didn't really know where that thought was based on but it was certainly not from the girl who carried 103,000 grimoires in her head, no certainly not. He would never admit to it even if held on bite point.

"To think this mere welp would get in the way of my battle with the wyvern… how foolish! From here on I vow to destroy every single one of your kind that I lay my sights on!"

She shouted out passionately as she ignored the large monster she was supposed to hunt and promptly focused on the bull-like monster that had interrupted her battle. Kamijou was sure that Othinus was being completely serious with that vow.

"O-Othinus…"

He called out her name nervously. He was happy she was enjoying herself but if he didn't do anything about the current situation then he was sure he wouldn't survive the aftermath.

"What is it? I'm busy trying to kill this Bullfango monster. I had spent too much time gathering and exploring so I need to finish this and that wyvern off soon or I'll run out of time"

She replied with a hint of annoyance. Othinus was the type that poured a lot of effort when she got into doing something regardless of what it is so even playing games were serious business to her. He needed to thread carefully and word his next plead properly. Else he might incur the wrath of the only thing that was preserving his life at the moment.

"W-well… I'm glad you're enjoying yourself and all but… could you please get off me?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

He could feel the accusing stares of those around him. Birdway, Lessar and Index had remained silent through the whole situation, not offering even a single comment. Kamijou Touma's finely honed instincts told him that the only reason he wasn't being killed yet with bites, stabs and spells was because of the Magic God sitting in his lap playing video games.

For those that had somehow glossed over that particular detail, it shall be repeated in bold and italics. _**The magic god, One Eyed Othinus, the leader of Gremlin, the perceived enemy that was supposedly the final boss that they were planning to face was sitting on his lap playing games while wearing something that covered less skin that would most certainly qualify it as a fetishistic costume used by the most deprived perverts.**_

It was a death flag. He was painfully aware of that fact. He momentarily wondered what he could possibly do to placate the three goddesses of death that were leveling him with a glare that could kill lesser beings, though when he had taken a closer look at Lessar's face it was more like she was frozen in shock while staring at him. He was actually afraid of removing Othinus from his lap but every second she was on him was another second they would spend punishing him.

"Be quiet for a bit Touma, I'm still rather unused to the controls and am pressed for time so I need to concentrate on defeating the wyvern in order to achieve victory. I will not allow that bullfango monster, whom I've already slaughtered, to achieve its purpose of preventing me in completing the hunt"

Othinus calling him by his first name had made the situation severe. Index had let out a small growl, Birdway's glare turned ice cold while Lessar seemed to have started turning white and showing cracks. None of those girls were Japanese but all three of them were well versed in Japanese culture. Being called by the first name without any honorifics was a sign of closeness.

It was at that moment that Kamijou Touma understood that his fate was sealed. If he could see flags that he raised like a certain anime he saw once, then he would certainly have an ominous black flag popping up on his head. He sorely wished that his right hand was also capable of destroying those flags. It would've made his life so much easier.

"Ohh… you truly have went above and beyond my expectations _Kamijou Touma_. To think that despite the absurd amount of surveillance by different factions on you, you were still able to _**somehow, without being noticed,**_ charm that one on your lap. Tell me, exactly how did you manage such an _**amazing**_ feat?"

Birdway was absolutely frigid. Her voice was cold and emotionless, her face blank yet she kept a small polite smile. It was a sign that she was already beyond furious at the current situation and was trying to gather information in order to punish him appropriately without inducing damage on her side.

She was now full on magical cabal boss mode.

He was quite sure that Othinus noticed that sheer amount of animosity being directed towards her but her being the queen of ignoring the atmosphere meant she did not do anything as a response. To the magic god, anything that doesn't pose a threat didn't require even an iota of her attention especially when she was absorbed with doing something.

If Kamijou could find a convenient wish granting machine like a certain holy cup, he would wish for the magic god to become more considerate of him.

"A-Ah w-well…"

He tried to find the words to explain the situation but was failing badly. If he really were to speak the absolute truth then it was highly likely that _even if they did believe him, it would be detrimental to their_ _purpose._

He felt rather guilty that about not telling any of them. He knew that despite how Birdway was acting right now, she was _still giving him the benefit of the doubt_. She was giving him a chance to explain himself before arriving at a conclusion and taking action. Birdway had always been a logical person and hence she knew that there _should_ be a good and logical explanation for the current situation but she is unable to determine exactly _what_ it is.

"Touma"

Othinus' calm voice sounded serious as she called his name as if perfectly reading his thoughts, she shifted her position so that she was sitting sideways on his lap in order to give him a meaningful look. Kamijou was aware of what she wanted to convey and stopped himself from explaining their situation.

'_Don't. It is best that you stop now and keep your distance.'_

He briefly wondered exactly how much time the two of them had already spent in each other's company considering the fact that they could pretty much read each other's intention through body language, silent eye contact and through the inflection of their speech.

"So…? Where is the explanation we have so _kindly and patiently_ been waiting for?"

Birdway continued her glare slowly reaching negative 273 Kelvin. Kamijou needed to say something, anything that could be used to placate the girl capable single-handedly destroying the whole of District 7 without even breaking a sweat.

'_Think! Think Kamijou Touma! What can I say to avoid the worst possible outcome?! Surely there's something I can do! Hurry up brain, I can sense Index entering super beast moooode!'_

Despite his desperation he drew a blank. No matter how he looked at it there was nothing he could do by himself in order to resolve the situation peacefully.

Hence he did something that the old Kamijou Touma was unable to do before.

He asked for help.

'_Othi-chan! Othi-sama! Othi-aemon! Help me, please!'_

He made eye contact and silently pleaded to the magic god. Their currently relationship was such that they needed no spell or other means to converse. They just knew each other that well.

'_Really now, you require my help in resolving this situation?'_

Othinus replied with a slight raise of her left eyebrow while flipping the switch on the side of the PSP to put it in sleep mode.

'_Yes magic god-sama, please help this ordinary and helpless high school student resolve the current situation!'_

Kamijou replied by widening his eyes. He didn't realize that the girls currently observing him were already shaking in fury.

'_I understand'_

Othinus replied by closing her eyes and nodding. For a brief moment, Kamijou Touma felt like everything was going to be okay, that District 7 and his body would be able to survive the current situation unscathed, that Othinus would actually do something to resolve the situation perfectly.

Of course he was wrong.

Othinus placed the PSP on the table and shifted her position so that she was straddling him, her face close to his own and her arms wrapped around his neck. The smug grin on her face and her mischievous eyes told Kamijou exactly what she was about to do.

'_Don't' _

Kamijou glared at Othinus.

'_You told me to resolve it' _

Othinus' grin became wider.

'_Not in this way!'_

Kamijou's glare turned pleading and desperate.

'_Too late'_

Othinus' became ecstatic after seeing his expression.

"Touma… you shouldn't bother with the peanut gallery. After all… you already have me don't you?"

She spoke sweetly and sensually while affectionately caressing his cheek. Drawing her body closer and resting her head on his chest as she tightly embraced him.

'_YOU EVIL WIIIIIIITTTCCCHHH!'_

Kamijou could swear he heard glass breaking.

"**TOUUUUMMMAAAAAAA!"**

A scream that would put every battle cry ever uttered in existence could be heard as Index entered super beast mode and attempted to lunge for a bite of his head. Many explosions soon followed.

**==[Stranded Together]==**

_Half an hour later..._

"Sometimes I wonder if you're a masochist. It would certainly explain how you were able to last and endure through the things I've put you through"

Othinus commented she looked at the view below. They were situated at the rooftop of one of the buildings in District 7 after having escaped the combined wrath of Index, Birdway and Lessar. Kamijou had never been felt so cornered before in his life, experiences in the infinite hell included.

"If that is the case, then do not worry yourself, I will neither judge nor abandon you"

Her words could've been considered touching if it weren't for the fact that Kamijou as fully aware he was being teased and played with.

"Do you enjoy my suffering?"

Kamijou asked completely deadpan, fully knowing the answer already but he at least wanted to hope.

"Yes"

Othinus replied instantly with a sweet and honest smile on her face to which he could only sigh. He sat down and rested his back on the wall, rubbing his head to ease the pain of the bite from Index.

He let out another sigh, this time being reminded of the guilt he felt about not explaining things to the three. Othinus took notice and approached him.

"Really now, we've done this countless times yet even now you still can't help but feel such things?"

She asked as she sat between Kamijou's legs and rested her back on his body. Kamijou himself didn't mind the position since it was rather normal for them at this point.

"I have told you before, they may be real in some way but those aren't the ones you've come to know. _These are not the existences you had spent your time with nor is this the world you had lived in. _Their appearance should've told you as much"

He flinched as he heard her tone. It wasn't the first time he had received this particular lecture and he could only be amazed at how Othinus wasn't tired of giving it to him by now. Though that could probably be attributed to the fact that she perfectly understood how he felt.

"Index had black hair…"

He muttered as he recalled the differences in the nun's appearance. Of course it wasn't the only difference that they were able to find. Things like the position of objects in his dorm room, speech pattern of some of the more eccentric people he knew and the underwear of choice for the sisters could also be observed.

No matter what happened, even if his memory was to once again be erased, he would be absolutely sure that Misaka imouto should not be wearing black and lacy adult-like underwear that could easily kill someone with blood loss via nosebleed. A certain Shirai Kuroko was proof of that.

"Haah… so this isn't world isn't the right one either"

Kamijou let out another sigh, he was a bit tired from hopping through the many layers of reality they went through.

The world should've been restored to its original state when he left the use of Imagine Breaker into Othinus' hands. However due to interference from beings _unknown even to Othinus herself, _instead of stripping off the many layers of reality that Othinus had created, it was instead turned into a large convoluted mess of realities where many different possibilities were combined like patchwork.

The differences from the 'original' world could range from something as minor as someone wearing an accessory they shouldn't be wearing or even a change of hair color to something major like Aogami Pierce had taken over the world and made every girl as part of his harem.

It took a lot of effort to believe that that last one was even within the realms of possibility.

He then recalled how Othinus had explained the situation to him.

==_[Flashback]==_

"Think of it this way. When I had completed Gugnir I was able to change the world at will. If the original world could be a considered as a pure white canvas, I had used my powers as a magic god to create different worlds by covering the canvas with a layer of whatever color I desired."

Othinus brought out a blank canvas and some paint. They were currently in an art room in Kamijou's school. There was no one around to interfere with them due to the barrier Othinus had put up.

"If I had been able to use Imagine Breaker at the time properly and _without_ interference, then I would have been able to completely return the canvas to its original unpainted state. Imagine Breaker is a reference point, an anchor of reality that could normalize fluctuations from the natural state and hence should have reversed the changes but…"

She took out a brush and opened the cans of paint. She then began painting an even layer of red on the whole canvas and waited a few seconds for it to dry. It was yet another innovation of Academy city, paint that dried almost instantly.

"It had instead lead us to the current situation. Imagine Breaker was unable to restore the world as a whole. You can think of it as only removing parts of the paint on the canvas instead of all of it. Now that itself wouldn't have cause the convoluted mess of realities we are currently going through but you must understand that in order for this world to function, _logic and reason must be followed_. For every effect, there _must_ be a cause that exists that created it"

She began applying layer after layer of paint, making sure that only one even layer of color is applied every time.

"If a result was achieved then there should've have been something that had been done to achieve it. If your leg for example was injured then there should've been an event or situation that leads to it getting injured. Similarly a chair cannot exist if there wasn't someone who had gathered the materials and spent time to actually build it"

She then opened the drawer and obtained a palette knife.

"Now we get to the crux of the problem. What Imagine Breaker had done was to erase the changes _only partially_. Both the causes and effects existed but Imagine Breaker was only able to erase _some of the causes or events and not the effects themselves_. The reverse is also true, the effects were erased but the causes were not but right now it is impossible to determine which occurred or if both had happened."

She then put away the paint cans and the brushes. Kamijou, despite the seriousness of the situation, momentarily wished that she would show that level of consideration towards him. He shook his head shortly after and paid attention to what Othinus was saying.

"The former would mean that your leg is left injured but the events that caused it were erased. The latter would mean you were involved in an accident that had most certainly did something to you but the effects themselves were erased. The world cannot continue functioning if things were left in such a way and _hence it had to draw upon other possibilities_ from the other realities I had created in order to rationalize and consolidate the causes and effects"

She then brought the canvas to the table he was leaning on and positioned it upright to show the thick layer of paint on the canvas. It was like looking at a rainbow when one looked at the side of the canvas.

"Going back to the paint and canvas analogy should help you understand. Every time I changed the world I would paint the whole canvas in one color. The first time I did it I painted all of it red, the second time I painted over it with blue, so on and so forth. I had changed the world so many times that a thick and uniform layer of paint is already on the canvas"

She then took the knife and began to chip away some parts of the layers. Kamijou figured that the palette knife symbolized his Imagine Breaker.

"Imagine Breaker removed some parts of it. It punched holes into the layers, some shallow, some deep, some only at the sides and some in other random places. However in order for the world to remain functioning, it needed to patch up the wholes and gaps in its layers. Since there was no other place to get material from, it took the paint of other layers to fill in the gaps. Now what was originally a layer of pure red paint is now a mix of several different other colors. The same is true for every other layer on the canvas"

She then took the pieces of the chipped off paint from the table and placed in the wholes and gaps she made, making sure that a different color was placed on a particular layer.

"This is also the reason for my current condition. The world we are currently in makes it so that the event that had lead into me getting hit by Ollerus' spell did not exist since the battle had yet to happen. Unlike you who cannot be affected due to being the wielder of Imagine Breaker, I on the other hand am. I am able to retain all my memories due to being the one to create the realities and use the power of Imagine Breaker but I am not exempt from the changes it makes"

_==[Flashback]==_

"Haaahh… such misfortune... If only we could use your power to resolve all of this…"

He spoke his catchphrase with a bit of trepidation. Though there was that option, it wasn't something that they could rely on.

"Though I do still have power, the problem would be the fact that I am still in the state of encompassing _every possibility_ and hence I have an equal amount of failure as I do in succeeding… so if we were to gamble then I could just as easily destroy this world as much as I have the chance of fixing it, even with the use of your Imagine Breaker"

Othinus spoke as she made herself comfortable in her position. The current reality they were in wasn't the first and they were sure that it was also not the last reality they have to traverse in order to reach the original world.

They were essentially stranded in the many layers of realities together. He had actually lost track of exactly how long they've been doing this but he was rather thankful there was someone there to help him out through all of it.

If he were to be optimistic about it, it was like going on a long and epic adventure with Othinus as his heroine like those RPG and adventure games they've played though considering the things they have gone through, that view was technically true.

"… If there are many layers of paint on the canvas it simply means we have to slowly chip away every single one until we are left with the original blank canvas…"

He recited the words Othinus had once said to him after finishing her explanation. Since they could not rely on Othinus' powers in fear of the failure and they had not been able to rely on something like Gugnir they had no choice but to take the slow path.

The only consolation was that fact that no matter what happened, no matter what world he would chance upon, no matter how different it was from the world he knew, there would always be one other person in every world that would always be able to understand and help him.

"Hey Othinus, wanna go and take a break for a bit?"

He asked. There wasn't really any point in rushing, if they went all out and kept going without rest then even they would break from the stress.

"Yes, let's try out that beach you've gone to. I always had wanted to try on those strange swimsuits provided by Academy City"

Othinus let out a small smile and both of them stood up and made continued on.

Neither knew how long it would take to return to Kamijou Touma's world but both of them were perfectly content with the peace they had right now.

**==[Stranded Together]==  
**

**A/N:  
So what did you think of it?**

**I had done my utmost best in keeping the characterization of all the characters involved as close to cannon as possible but I'm not entirely confident. My knowledge of the Indexverse is essentially limited to memory and some info from the wiki. I also did my best to keep the premise of this story as believable as possible though that is also something I'm not confident about.**

**In the case that anyone actually like this story and would like to know whether it would be continued then the answer would be yes, I will update a this only when I get good enough ideas.**

**Truth be told I have no real idea on the specifics of how they managed to get into the situation and how they would actually get out. I never really planned on a set story for this one... so it would be better to treat it as a collection of short stories or omakes involving Touma and Othinus.**


	2. Diary Entry 1: The Beginning

**It seems this story had actually gotten quite a bit of attention while I was away (I had been horribly busy this past month) and now that I have free time I can actually put out a chapter**

Thank you for all your reviews and suggestions! Know that I read every single one and had considered them as well.

As I had said in the first chapter... I didn't really have any concrete plans for this one so I needed to think quite a bit of how I'll show the events that had lead up to there as suggested in the review. After some thinking... well this is the result

**Disclaimer: I do not own To Aru Majutsu no Index and its wonderful cast of characters. I do not profit from this work at all. Really.****  
**

This chapter should show you what had happened between the two right after the events of volume 9 and leading to the premise of the fic. It should also show you how I characterize Othinus and more importantly, how she views Touma in her mind.**  
**  
You can treat this as the actual prologue of the story while the first chapter was 'In medias res'.

_**Special thanks for the editor of this chapter, Negame**_

**===Stranded Together===**

**======Othinus=======**

_It truly was ridiculous. _

_That honestly was the only way I could describe it when I look back on everything._

_I sought out to find my home, the real one that had not been obscured by the changes I've made, using whatever means necessary. I sought power and succeeded in gaining it through dubious means. I gathered resources, created an organization, gathered subordinates with false promises and overcame every obstacle that came my way._

_Except for one…_

_Kamijou Touma, it was a name that would forever be engraved in my mind, body and soul._

_It was the name of the man who fought against me despite the astronomical odds against him. _

_It was the name of the man that kept going in that infinite hell despite the countless times I had broken him._

_It was the name of the single existence in the world that kept standing up against god when everyone else couldn't._

_and…_

_It was the name of the only existence that understood me…_

_I can't remember when was the last time I had needed to write down my thoughts just to organize it… I recall when I had still been a human child that I would always keep a small piece of paper for whenever I would feel overwhelmed so I could organize my thoughts and calm myself._

_Really now… that idiot… making me like this again…_

_From here on in are the thoughts that have plagued my mind since the start… memories that will most likely stay with me for eternity_

**===Stranded Together===**

It was a strange feeling I had. I was able to finally triumph and defeat him, the single obstacle left against my plans.

Yet there was no feeling of elation.

I held what remained of his body and looked at him as he tried to speak. I waited for the words that every other human would speak.

I thought he wanted revenge, I thought he wanted to say the last words to convince me to bring back his world… yet…

"_If you knew that, why did you challenge me?"_

"_I thought I could reach you."_

Those words stunned me into silence. I couldn't truly grasp the meaning… or it was better to say I refused to grasp it despite it being so obvious.

"_But nothing is left for you now. You have simply lost. The world you wished for will never arrive again."_

I answered to him, trying to dispel any other possibility. I wanted him to admit the fact that he had done everything he did for the sake of his own justice.

"…_That's fine."_

Yet his reply simply brought me to silence once again. I could only look at him as he slowly lost the remaining strength left in his body as I raced through the unnecessary thoughts that were entering my head. I asked what reasons or motives he could have had for continuing to fight but before my thoughts came to a conclusion he asked her a wish.

For a moment, I thought he would wish for the happiness of those he loved but then again I was proven wrong.

"_Make good use of this.__"_

"…_?"_

"_My right hand. I was only able to use it for fights, but you must know a better way to use it. You can use it as the reference point for the world that Ollerus mentioned."_

I was indignant for a moment, taken aback by the thought that I would actually restore the world according to his views. I found such wishes meaningless and had no qualms in revealing my thoughts.

"_The battle is over, so it's fine. Use this and take back your world; take back your first hope."_

Yet when I had finally thought he would insist on bringing back his own world out of selfishness, he then proceeded to give me the one thing that could've granted the goal I've been pursuing.

"_Do you think that isn't necessary because you can create an identical world from the ground up? You think it's the same as returning to your original world because no one can tell the difference? …That's wrong, Othinus. Even if no one else knows and the world is filled with smiles, it will be nothing but a tragedy as long as__you__know the difference."_

He followed with those words, words that I knew far too well. I've looked long and hard for any means, any method I could've used to bring back the original world that I had come from but failed every time. I could only keep adding layers to the reality, fixing and tweaking it as I remembered but it was never enough.

I knew. I knew that it wasn't my world and so I was never satisfied.

It irritated me that someone thought they had the right to say those. It irritated me that someone could possibly even think they understood how that truly felt.

If it was anyone else, I would have already erased that person but deep inside myself, I knew…

I knew Kamijou Touma understood that pain like I did.

He spoke his last words as he did a pitiful attempt at stroking my cheek, challenging me to be selfish, to act the way I wanted in order to achieve whatever goal I may have. The next second, that arm that had almost reached me had fallen and he stopped moving.

At that moment, Kamijou Touma had truly died.

"_Oh…" _

It was the only word that could escape my lips. As I looked at his dead body, I could only feel one thing.

Loneliness.

It didn't matter if I could recreate the world; it didn't matter if I could bring the Kamijou Touma himself back to life without fail.

I wanted to find my way back to the world I knew... the world I was born in, the world I grew up in… but when I thought long and hard, I couldn't go beyond that thought.

If I did succeed, then what? In that world, what was waiting for me? What did I have to gain from that world?

Those questions plagued my mind; I didn't know when it was that my goal had stopped making sense but when I truly searched for an answer, only one thing came to me.

"_Did I want him to understand?" _

"_Did I want someone who understands me?"_

I couldn't help but feel idiotic.

When I thought about it, there was no one in my original world that would've probably been able to understand me and the things I've gone through and the only existing person who had gone through the same thing, who could understand the pain I had felt, had died by my own hand.

His words had made me understand this. It was a truly cruel and merciless attack. I could only really laugh at myself if I had the will to do so.

Now I was left with a choice: to restore my world or his.

Really now. At that point, it wasn't even a question.

…

…

…

_**At that point I made a decision… though at the time I was mistaken. I wasn't alone at all… in fact it was likely I was being observed…**_

**===Stranded Together===**

I really shouldn't have been surprised when he chose to stand by my side.

When we had come back to his world, the moment before I had originally destroyed it, he didn't hesitate to protect me. I'm quite sure the entire world was dumbfounded by his actions but there was no real way for them to understand him.

I didn't put any effort into dissuading him since I had seen firsthand how utterly stubborn he was. There was no point convincing someone that was willing to die millions of times to reach out to someone. That would simply be completely pointless.

I had no illusion I could truly be saved, not with the sins I've committed but… even then I couldn't help but go along with him.

In complete honesty, I wanted to simply make it last a bit longer. It was a final act of selfishness on my part… I wanted to spend even a bit more time with the only one who could understand me.

So I indulged his wishes… I knew how cruel it was to put him in harm's way because of my selfishness but a part of me knew he would forgive me for what I was doing and what I planned to do.

After all, in that infinite hell, I had also gained an understanding of him that far surpasses anyone else who knew him.

He had told me, challenged me to be selfish and do what I want, hence I would do so without anymore hesitation. I would live the fantasy that had only existed in my dreams.

Even if it would never lead to anything, even if it would never last, if I could live it for even a few more moments then I could die with a smile on my face and say I was truly happy.

**===Stranded Together===**

After a few arguments I had used the Bone Boat to rotate the planet in order to bring ourselves to our target since the idiot had no real plan for us to follow. Being the god that I am I had told him that despite our predicament there actually was a sliver of hope to save me.

Our target was the spring of Mimir where my eye could be found. If I had the eye I had once sacrificed then I could return to being human, invalidating Ollerus' fairy spell.

He had embraced me out of happiness upon hearing those words.

The sensation had been so foreign to me that I couldn't help but push him away. Most existences feared my presence itself and would never dare get close. I could barely remember the last I had received close physical contact that didn't involve a battle of sorts.

Really who did he think he was embracing me out of nowhere?

He was rather laidback as well considering the situation but it was something I could easily understand. He treated me like a close friend and talked to me casually. We exchanged playful jabs at each other and engaged in some banter.

We acted like we weren't being pursued by the combined forces of the world. We went along in our little adventure, always finding time to tease one another when we could.

It was truly enjoyable.

I would've preferred if we weren't being chased by every organization but I at least had the confidence that we could handle whatever would come.

After all, even though my body continued to degenerate each passing moment, I was still the one who reached godhood and manipulated the world while he was the man who overcame god herself by sheer force of will.

I knew for a fact how much of a disadvantage we were in… but even then I could confidently say that his presence alone gave us a good chance of succeeding in the goal I had set up.

…

…

…

_**It had probably been due to my dying body or maybe the distraction that his company had provided but it had taken me a while to notice the inconsistencies that the world had developed. **_

**===Stranded Together===**

_Academy City and the advancements in technology they presented._

_The Roman Catholic Church and the collective will of its millions of followers._

_The Russian Orthodox Church. _

_The combined might of the saints. _

_The former members of Gremlin._

_The American military and Kamijou Touma's comrades._

They were the enemies we had been made to face. The odds were truly stacked against us but as I had expected, the man who stood by my side was able to take a step forward and keep walking as he pushed through adversity, not only overcoming the enemies but letting them become our allies as well.

However as we moved forward we began to notice the inconsistencies and errors.

_The number one esper that Academy city had sent was __**female.**_

_The Roman Catholic Church included the __**Amakusas**__ in their ranks._

_The saints were lead by Princess __**Villian**__ carrying the curtana. _

_The one who attempted to use the fake Gugnir with the help of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum was __**Patricia Birdway**__._

There had probably been more that had escaped our notice but those were the most glaring ones. Both of us had been perturbed by the change but we had no choice but to continue on.

Yet as we progressed it seemed more inconsistencies had come forth. Changes occurred at random the closer we approached to our destination.

It was when he had defeated Almighty Thor that I had understood the possible reason for the world's condition.

The mayhem, the chaos, the errors and inconsistencies…

I caused all of them and if I kept on prolonging the current state of affairs then it was likely that the single existence I wanted to preserve may not be able to go back.

Then and there I decided… that it was time I ended everything.

…

…

…

_**I couldn't be saved… no, I had no right to be saved. That was the conclusion I had reached at the time. The boy did everything he could to save me and that had truly made me happy… however the more I relied on him the more damage I did to him and the world around him.**_

_**Of course… I wasn't truly aware of the real cause at that time however I believe my actions held merit regardless. **_

**===Stranded Together===**

I wasn't running away like he thought. It the only one to be affected was myself then I would have gladly turned myself back into human and faced the consequences of my action.

However if I did so then he would be caught up in the fallout. He had stood by my side, fought against the world, and supported me would've been surely viewed as a criminal for aiding the greatest evil.

There was no way I could or would allow such a thing to happen.

My life and happiness didn't matter. I deserved death and whatever fate for the sins I've committed but the existence called Kamijou Touma had done no wrong…

… and I would make that absolutely clear to all of them.

I once again brought out the crossbow that had taken him down and prepared my shot. It was something capable of destroying a planet, something Kamijou Touma knew better than anyone else.

Of course… he ran towards her regardless. He charged, his eyes burning with determination, and faced all ten shots.

He had most likely been afraid. He had most likely been reminded of the deaths he had experienced from the very same weapon… but I knew he would keep going no matter what.

I couldn't help but smile as drew closer, not even hesitating as he faced down the final arrow, the one that had ended the battle between us. He clenched his fist and punched it with all his might.

_He succeeded._

Every bit of strength I had left seemed to escape me as he pulled me into an embrace. It was only for a moment but my body was able to regain its senses.

_It had felt warm._

I smiled satisfied with the result. I was saved. Despite everything that had happened, despite everything I had done, he had still went through and saved me.

_I was truly happy. Happy that everything had finally come to an end_

…

…

…

_**Yet even then the world refused to give me that end. **_

**===Stranded Together===**

***BZZZZZZZZZZT***

As I was held in his embrace the world seemed to blur.

***BZZZZZZZZT***

"E-eh…?"

He let out as both of us looked around to see what was happening.

***KSSSSHHHHHHH***

All around us was static. It was like watching television with horrible reception as everything in sight seemed to be unable to hold its existence.

***BZZZZZZZZT***

Sounds of loud static grew louder as the ground and sky themselves were crumbling.

"W-what's happening?!"

"I… don't know…"

For the first time in a long time I had been dumbfounded. I had neither had a real grasp of the true state of things nor the actual cause. I thought that my end would dispel the inconsistencies…

***KSSSSHHHHHHH***

***BZZZZZZZZT***

He held me tight, making sure not to let go. I had no power left and was slowly fading away while he was far too injured at this point to even do anything.

***GOGOGOGOGOGO***

"OTHINUUUUSSS!"

He shouted my name as large earthquake occurred and the ground below us broke apart. We were thrown away from each other but he had stubbornly held on to my hand.

I wanted to tell him to let go but I had no strength left to even speak.

***GASSHAAN***

***GASSHAAN***

Everything around us shattered into tiny particles and swirled madly like a storm.

"HOLD ON!"

He kept shouting to her. She could barely hear his voice due to the vortex of particles that seemed to be storming around them.

"Gaaahhhhh?!"

The next moment they were falling as they were being carried away by the large flow of particles.

After that was darkness.

**===Stranded Together===**

**A/N: So what do you think? I wanted to badly incorporate the events of Volume 10 in order to preserve the official developments between the two. This is basically Volume 11 in the first person perspective of Othinus with some of the additions that leads up to the premise of this fic.**

You can treat this as diary entries made by Othinus... whether I'll do one again in the future is undecided...

Thank you for taking the time to read this and if it isn't too much trouble, please leave a review.


	3. Iteration 1-1: Sequence Start

Hey there!

Now... I guess I'm back? It's been like half a year since I actually updated this story. Sorry 'bout that... hopefully some of you are still there.

I would prepare for being burned at the stake or getting stabbed by pitchforks but I don't think I'm popular enough for that. In case such thoughts cross your minds I think I at least had a good excuse for my absence!

I'm at my final year of college and I had to make sure to keep all my grades up to a certain standard. Thankfully I somehow made it through the term with a lot of effort. The road to graduation is within sight...

That was the most stressful few months I've had yet...

Well now that I'm not nearly as busy as I've been, I guess I'll be around more. It also looks like NT V13 is out will be translated soon so hell yeah~!

Oh by the way, there's an **Author's Corner** at the end of the chapter where I answer some reviews and questions, as well as put in some extra info about the how the chapter was made or concerns involving it. Give that a read if you have time, there aren't spoilers there for the next chapter but you can tell what's in store for the future if you squint hard enough.

Well without further ado, chapter start!

**Disclaimer: I don't own To Aru Majutsu no Index, old or new testament, or its countless, diverse, and vibrant characters.**

**==Stranded Together==**

**_*BZZZZZZZZZZT*_**

_I held her tightly. I could feel the Othinus' cold body in my arms, it felt like if she would fade into nothingness if I let go._

**_*BZZZZZZZZT*_**

_"E-eh…?"_

_I let out as I frantically looked around to see what was happening. Cracks were starting to form in the sky like it was glass about to shatter._

**_*KSSSSHHHHHHH*_**

_All around us was static. It was like watching television with horrible reception as everything in sight seemed to be unable to hold its existence._

**_*BZZZZZZZZT*_**

_Sounds of loud static grew louder as the ground and sky themselves were crumbling._

_"W-what's happening?!"_

_"I… don't know…"_

_He asked hoping that Othinus would have an answer but it seemed even she was dumbfounded. _

**_*KSSSSHHHHHHH*_**

**_*BZZZZZZZZT*_**

_The sky broke apart. Pieces of it falling from its place, leaving behind a black void, and shattering into tiny particles before it even reached the ground. _

_I didn't know what to do. My right hand could dispel the miracles of god and the curses of the devil but it wasn't something that could prevent the world from collapsing… or at least I wasn't capable of using it that way._

**_*GOGOGOGOGOGO*_**

_"OTHINUUUUSSS!"_

_I shouted her name as a large earthquake occurred and the ground below us broke apart. We were thrown away from each other but I stubbornly held on to her hand._

**_*GASSHAAN*_**

**_*GASSHAAN*_**

_Everything around us shattered into tiny particles and swirled madly like a storm._

_"HOLD ON!"_

_I kept shouting at her not knowing if she could hear my voice in this turmoil. _

_"Gaaahhhhh?!"_

_The next moment we were carried along with the massive flow of particles that had once made everything in the world, unable to struggle, as it seemed to be dissipating in a single point like a large whirlpool in the ocean._

_I let myself get dragged in the flow and did my best to make sure Othinus and I weren't separated. _

"_O-Othi-…"_

_After that was darkness._

**==Stranded Together==**

**_*KSSSSHHHHHHH*_**

"OTHINUUUUS!"

Kamijou Touma jolted up from his position. His breathing was ragged and his body was drenched in sweat. He gripped the sides of the all too familiar bathtub as he tried to calm down and regain his bearings.

He stood up, careful not to somehow slip on a stray soap on the floor tiles and surveyed the surroundings.

"T-This is…."

He looked around and found himself inside the bathroom that was most definitely the one connected to his dorm room in District 7. He had been sitting inside the bathtub, the one he had turned to as an alternative bed since a certain gluttonous nun had already taken residence in his actual bed.

Everything inside was perfectly in place. The toiletries on the shelves and cabinets were exactly the same ones they used. The walls were in perfect condition, as if Birdway and Lessar hadn't knocked a hole in it when they had come to recruit him for the combined attack against Othinus.

"…"

He didn't panic. Kamijou Touma had, despite the situation and its possible implications, not panicked. Instead he calmly approached the sink and had splashed his face with cold water. He proceeded to close his eyes to ponder.

_(What exactly happened?)_

His calmness in the situation wasn't anything special. He had adapted it as a sort of coping mechanism when he was subjected by Othinus to the 'Infinite Hell'.

If he remained calm and gave the situation some thought, he was sure he could find a solution or at least reach a basic understanding of the situation.

"Othinus… used my right hand to restore the world, _'my'_ version of the world. We were chased by the combined forces of the church, academy city, and America…. We were able to reach our objective but I had to do battle with Othinus…."

The images flashed within his mind. They fought against the strongest forces the world had to offer. It was an insane boss rush in the hardest difficulty setting but they had somehow managed to pull through.

"I was able to win but Othinus started to fade… before I could even do anything the world seemed to start breaking apart…"

He could vividly remember the feeling of holding Othinus' progressively weakening body. He could remember seeing the sky shatter into tiny pieces and both of them being sucked into a massive whirlpool.

He could remember holding on to her tightly before losing consciousness but she wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Othinus… is she…?"

***BOOOOOOMM***

He heard a sudden explosion that was followed by the sound of what was probably cutlery falling to the floor.

Kamijou Touma grimaced.

His instincts that had been honed through countless life and death battles somehow told him that the explosion that had just occurred wasn't a signal that foretold an impending crisis he would inevitably get involved in to save someone but instead something far more mundane.

Honestly, he had no idea how he could tell but that's just how it felt like.

Of course whether it was dangerous regardless of being mundane was up in the air.

_(Hopefully it isn't something that would lead to Index biting me in the head…)_

He sighed and mentally prepared himself as he casually walked towards his the door connecting his bathroom to the main room. He took slowly turned the handle expecting something surreal to jump at him.

"Index…?"

Smoke and the sound of coughing greeted him as he entered the room, prompting him to rush to the sliding doors connecting the room to the small balcony to open them.

_(Thankfully no one set off the fire alarm. If the sprinkler system activated now It would just make more of a mess.)_

He wondered for a moment if no one else was currently in the dorm but shook it off in favor of scolding the white clad gluttonous nun that was probably the cause of this mess.

"Oi Index! Did you try cooking aga-"

He turned and shouted, fully expecting to see the white clad gluttonous nun but was greeted by a truly confounding sight and froze on the spot.

"Hmm… why did it explode like that? I was pretty sure my foundation in cooking knowledge was sound…"

In front of him was Othinus whom remained sitting on the ground, her face marred with confusion as she seemed to be contemplating how her knowledge in cooking had apparently failed her. However, the site of a contemplative Othinus wasn't the reason he was rooted in place.

It was Othinus' state of dress.

The magic god was wearing a pink frilly apron, probably in an attempt to follow proper cooking etiquette, and her trademark eyepatch. He would describe other articles of clothing or accessories she was wearing but the problem was they didn't seem to be present.

He was having a hard time even thinking of the logical conclusion of those findings.

_(C-calm down Kamijou Touma! You need to process the whole situation first before coming to a conclusion and making a reaction! If you jump to conclusions, who knows what kind of fate this world will face!)_

From Othinus' current sitting position, he could see no trace of her usual "Ribbon Bikini" as he called it nor of her classic witch hat. He resumed his observation and frantically looked towards her feet to see if the matching ribbon footwear was there but they were noticeably absent.

His heart rate increased a few beats per minute.

_(C-could this be...no… NO! This isn't some harem comedy fantasy manga where the final boss suddenly decides to do something like this for the protagonist who beat her! There must be some kind of magic or esper power in play here!)_

He made an audible gulp. This was a situation that went beyond his expectation. He waved his right hand randomly in the air to see if there was some kind of magic being invoked in the area and then proceeded to close his eyes and touch his head.

He had become significantly more open-minded ever since going through the infinite hell. Even if Shirai Kuroko was the President, Aogami Pierce was the 6th level 5 esper, or Accelerator was actually a girl, he was sure he'd be able to somehow come to terms with it given enough time.

Heck if Second Princess Carissa would turn out to be his childhood friend and greet him in the morning with a kiss, he'd actually be willing to somehow go along with it for as long as he was given the chance to hand out tsukkomis.

_( …but… there's no way Othinus, a Magic God, the reason why that infinite hell existed in the first place, would actually wear something like this no matter how screwed up her fashion sense is!)_

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the sight of Othinus sitting on the ground in a naked apron didn't disappear. He could faintly hear Othinus something muttering about putting too much magic during the synthesizing process but he decided to ignore it.

_(IT'S STILL THEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRREEEE!)_

He then stood straight and assumed a serious expression. There was only one conclusion and only one acceptable course of action in this situation.

"N-N-NA... NAAAAAAAAKED APROOOOOOOOONNNNN?!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs whilst pointing accusingly at Othinus, not really knowing what else he could do in this situation. He comforted himself with the fact that he could confidently say no one would either.

A magic god in a naked apron is not a situation someone would come by in their lifetime after all.

"Hmm…?"

Othinus could only respond by looking his way and cutely tilting her head to the side as she processed Kamijou's exclamation.

The silence that followed was so prevalent that you could hear a pin drop from a mile away.

It took the magic god a few a seconds before her face slightly reddened in realization. The frustrated sigh she let out told Kamijou that he might just be wrong after all all.

"You…! Stop gawking you fool! I have my usual outfit under this!"

With one swift movement, she removed the frilly pink apron to reveal her usual daring ribbon outfit. It seemed that a combination of the apron, her sitting position, and Kamijou's perspective had led to the illusion that she wasn't wearing anything beneath.

Never has an apron been so effective in tactically concealing what was worn beneath.

For some reason, Kamijou didn't know whether to be filled with relief or disappointment though it was more likely that he was feeling both.

"Oh…"

"What's with that disappointed look? Don't get ahead of yourself human, no amount of understanding would make me do such a thing for you."

She said imperiously as she glared at him like a god would look down on an ant. Unfortunately the remains of what was most likely on their breakfast were still in her face and she was still wearing an outfit that covered less than modern bikinis.

However Kamijou was concerned for something else entirely.

_(Her body was going cold last time.)_

Being finally reminded about the fact Othinus was actually dying the last time he saw her, he scanned her body for any sign that she was still in dire straits.

_(It doesn't look like she has any injuries or is in any danger of dying…)_

"Don't have such a worried look, as you can see… I'm fine. We can discuss all of this later so hurry and help me clean this up."

Though anyone else might have confused his probing gaze as a pervert, fortunately Othinus understood him better. There was a lot of things he really wanted to ask but it was better to get the atmosphere back to normal.

"Ah let's clean then discuss things after eating, I'm already pretty hungry right now."

"Hmph, that nonchalance of yours is exactly what I would expect of you."

Satisfied and secretly relieved that her mistake wasn't called out, Othinus went to the stove and started to put the utensils she used on the sink.

Kamijou on the other hand, went for the shelves and took out some clean rags and gave some to Othinus. He took a peek inside the refrigerator to see what he could make but it seemed like Othinus had already used most of them up. There were some ingredients but nothing for a full meal.

_(Looks like I'll just have to buy some food outside. Hopefully I have money in my account in this… world)_

They spent the next 10 minutes cleaning the place up in silence. It was an oddly comfortable atmosphere that set Kamijou at ease.

It seemed like after going through hell and fighting against the combined forces of the world, both of them had wanted to bask in those mundane moments.

After putting away the cleaning implements, Kamijou gathered his keys, phone, and card while Othinus went inside the bathroom to clean herself up.

"Othinus, I'm going to buy us some food, do you have any preferences?"

He asked as he knocked on the bathroom door. Othinus opened the door slightly to reach for the towels and clothes he brought for her. It seemed she already taken off what little clothes she had on.

"We still have some meat and cheese left so just some bread, coffee and whatever you think would fit that. Thank you."

"There's some instant coffee in one of the shelves. We'll have to settle for that"

She quickly closed the door after responding with a nod and Kamijou went on his way out, hoping that his usual dose of misfortune doesn't take effect long enough for him to get back to the room.

He cracked a relived smile as he left the dormitory. The fact that he could have a normal and utterly mundane time with Othinus was nothing short of a miracle considering that they had just fought what could consider to be every major force of the world all while she was slowly dying.

There were still a lot of things that he needed to confirm but at least one of their problems were solved. He'll just have to worry about the other parts later.

**==Stranded Together==**

Meanwhile in a certain hotel room...

"Boss, Kamijou Touma exact location has been confirmed."

A blonde man wearing clean black formal suit uttered in fluent English as he placed he placed some papers on top of the kotatsu and poured some tea on the intricate and no doubt expensive Japanese teacup.

He was Mark Space, a member of the magical cabal, Dawn-Colored Sunlight and the personal assistant of the boss of the organization.

"Oh? So the idiot finally decided to show himself? Honestly, I wonder how he can so easily disappear without a trace. Neither the magic side nor the science side had any information to his whereabouts …"

A small girl, one that couldn't possibly be older than 12, mused as she peeled some tangerines while reading the documents. Despite the apparent amusement she was displaying, her blue eyes showed that she was dead serious as she absorbed all the information that the document contained.

They were currently residing in one of the hotels in academy located in District 3. The hotel was rather unique in that it catered to the customers every request, no matter how extreme for as long as it doesn't break any existing laws.

It was why the two of them were currently enjoying the use of a kotatsu as they sat on tatami floors despite in a clearly western room. It seemed that the hotel was even willing to change the room fixtures and fittings in the room if requested.

"Not even a single report on how the boy got inside Academy City..."

"From what we gathered, it seemed Kamijou Touma had simply appeared without notice. There was no recorded instance of him entering the city itself."

"So either our dear idiot had somehow bypassed every bit of Academy City's advanced security measures or he had never left this city in the first place. If it's the latter, he made no contact with anyone he knows and had managed to avoid detection. The question would be, why?"

The small girl contemplated as she drank the green tea. They, as well as nearly every major power, had been quite literally combing the world for his location.

"Mark, did he make any strange movements when he was sighted?"

"He was seen buying some food at a convenience store near his dormitory in District 7"

"… Haaah really now, the nerve of that boy. Here we are wasting resources trying to find him and he just casually reveals himself for something so boring. I would've preferred if we found him while he was up to his usual antics."

"So what's our course of action Boss?"

They had spent significant amount of time looking for the Kamijou Touma and were in the best position to approach him out of every major force currently on the hunt for him. Mark Space was almost certain that his boss was barely able to keep herself from storming the boy's room at this very moment.

"That's obvious... we'll be paying that idiot a visit"

His boss' smile told him everything he needed to know about how the meeting with Kamijou Touma would go. He'll just have to hope that the boy wasn't injured in some way or he might not live through what may happen.

**==Stranded Together==**

"Hmm, in hindsight I should've probably indulged in a Japanese breakfast instead of what I'm used to."

"Eh? Did you even need to eat when you were a Magic God?"

Such a normal conversation occurred in the Kamijou residence over the coffee table in the middle of the room. Several plates containing bread, butter, ham, cheese, tomatoes and cucumbers were present. Othinus layered the various ingredients on a slice of bread, making an open-faced sandwich.

One would be forgiven if they thought that these two weren't going to deal with what was without a doubt a complicated problem.

One would also be forgiven if they thought that these two were just lovers having breakfast together due to the casual and content atmosphere they were having but saying such a thing out loud would surely invite a horrible and violent death.

_(Hmm… I bought a lot by force of habit due to living with Index for so long…) _

It didn't take long for Kamijou to return from his trip to the convenience store earlier. He didn't know what kind of force of nature had prevented his usual bouts of misfortune but he was very grateful for the fact that he actually had enough money and absolutely nothing happened as he went about buying their breakfast.

As he returned to the room he was greeted by Othinus, clad in the polo he usually used for his summer uniform, and the smell of coffee. He had to wonder if Othinus actively felt the need to keep herself scarcely clothed but managed to prevent himself from asking.

_(I somehow avoided getting punched earlier so I'll just save that for later.)_

After setting up their breakfast on the coffee table, they proceeded to have a casual conversation on breakfast preferences with Othinus giving a rather detailed explanation on the traditional _smörgås __and commenting on the fact that the coffee was a bit weak for her liking. _

"I didn't necessarily need to eat as Magic God but there wasn't anything preventing me from indulging in it every now and then. Food was more of luxury than a necessity so I only really ate when the situation called for it or whenever I felt like it."

"Well I guess that explains why you can't really cook…"

"T-That was just a minor mistake! I had attempted to use some magic in the process had caused a minor explosion in the process…."

He wanted to point out that an explosion, regardless of scale, did not qualify for a minor mistake but things had been going weirdly well for him so he didn't really want to intentionally bringing down misfortune on himself.

"So… are you really doing fine?"

There was a bout of silence after he asked.

"I'm fine. Honestly even I'm surprised. Ollerus' fairy spell had already devastated my body beyond repair. After our fight, there was no doubt that I would have died or suffered a worse fate. However that strange phenomenon happened…"

The memory was still horribly clear in his mind. The image of the world shattering to pieces and the feel of Othinus' body as it slowly grew colder.

"I've yet to know the exact cause for that. So far the only thing I was able to determine before you woke up was that I've returned to being a magic god."

"So you made a full recovery from the fairy spell?"

"No, instead of recovering from it, it's more like I'm in a state where _I was never hit by the fairy spell in the first place._"

The distinction between the two statements had a significant difference in their implications. That one detail was what would shed light on their current situation.

There was another bout of silence as they finished their breakfast, leaving only the coffee left to finish. They collected the plates and cleaned up the table, spending a few moments to enjoy the coffee.

"You should consider getting a different brand of coffee or better yet, brew your own. Learning such a skill might become useful for you one day."

"Magic God-sama, please don't forget that this Kamijou-san is a normal high school student with limited funds! I don't have any knowledge on brewing coffee in the first place."

Othinus just stared at him flatly. Like any other person from the magic side that knew even an iota of his adventures would. She quietly put down her coffee and looked seriously at Kamijou.

It was time that she broke him out of his illusions. It was the least she could do for him.

"Do you really think you have the right to consider yourself a _'normal'_ high school student? Also, don't worry about the brewing part, I'll teach you how. It's just a matter of getting some quality beans and getting the time right."

"It's not like I have some newfound power or distinction that makes me less normal than other people… and are you sure about brewing coffee when you caused that explosion earlier?"

In an attempt to deflect and redirect the conversation, Kamijou decided to bring up the earlier truth he was aware that it was probably an honest mistake on Othinus' part since she's capable of mostly doing anything. However it was rare she made mistakes and hence he'd take this opportunity.

He would later regret it quite a bit.

"I told you it was just a simple mistake! Cooking and brewing coffee are two entirely different things in the first place! Besides, you're eating breakfast and casually conversing with a magic god, in what reality can you be called normal?!"

"Wait, why are you getting angry here?! Are you the type of character that hides their embarrassment by pretending to be angry?! Showing that you're embarrassed is important you know!"

"Do you want me to punch you that badly?! I've been holding back since earlier since I was feeling grateful for what you did but I'm not going to hold back here anymore!"

After few minutes of arguing more, a couple cups of cold coffee and a sore arm from Kamijou, the two decided to finally begin their investigation.

**==Stranded Together==**

Inside a certain high school...

She ran.

She ran with all her might.

She ran without regard for her surroundings.

"H-hey, watch where you're going!"

"W-waah the curry! The cuuuurrrryyyy!"

"Nyah?! Maikaaaa! Nooooooooo!"

Normally she would mindful, more considerate of other people. However right now she had no time.

It was only a few minutes ago that she heard that Kamijou Touma was finally seen.

He was apparently buying something from a convenience store near his dorm.

That irritated her a bit.

"Haaaah... Haaah..."

She had no idea how long she's ran and was already struggling for breath. She stopped for a moment to rest but continued almost immediately.

She had no choice, if she didn't get to Kamijou Touma now then he might disappear again.

She had an obligation to him so she would do everything in her power to reach him.

If she wanted to save that boy, she couldn't allow him to disappear without knowing what's in store for him!

"Just... a bit... more..!"

**==Stranded Together==**

**Author's Corner:**

... aaaand that concludes this chapter. So how did you find it? Where the characters in character? Did you find any mistake or inconsistencies in this chapter?

**Answers to some of the reviews:**

**Encedrel - **Ahh sorry bout the long intervals in between updates. Life has gotten rather busy. I do have a tendency to have some introspection, hopefully I can keep you reading regardless.

**Bacon Powder - **Ahaha it's a habit I have with my stories, I'd consider using a normal line break... but it's become a mark of my work of sorts.

**SilverIceRing - **Diary entries will be used to mark chapter ends and will be used to show glimpses of Othinus' character development. The cute and sweet times will show up later, for now fun times are here!

**AznPuffyHair - **Thank you for you input. I've tried to fix the viewpoint merry go round since it seems to be a habit of mine to do. The discrepancies were made by me in order to set up the premise of the fic. With regards to your last question, this will not go over to crossover territory and will at most have cameos that do not influence the story in a major way. I think the tvtrope page may be more ambitious, honestly I hope it just doesn't come crashing down to the ground.

To all other reviews, thank you for taking the time to post one and please look forward to future chapters.

**Now for a bit of discussion on the chapter:**

There are a few troublesome things that make writing this fic a bit difficult and all of them can be attributed to Othinus.

First of all, its difficult to depict her in this fic.

in a fic where character development is vital, the little, minute details are important. Those little habits, pet peeves, speech patterns, and the like become effective markers of the small changes a character undergoes.

The problem is that Othinus is a rather recent characters and hence we are not really privy to these details yet. To make it worse, we were never really fully shown how she would act in a casual situation. Though there were glimpses of this in NT10, her powers were already unavailable to her then. Thankfully though, it had given us a good amount to work on. Bless you Othinus and Touma interactions.

NT12 showed her in a more casual setting. It had shown her general behavior and speech patterns but at this point she had lost all her power and is in the mindset of undergoing a 'punishment'. There is a significant difference in how one would act while holding power compared to how one would act without.

I can only imagine what original Magic God Othinus was like, before the whole going over the steep slope at least.

Not to mention the fact that we never got to know the other powers she could display or if there are limitations, assuming that some do exist.

The second thing is that Othinus is an exposition character. A concrete detail given about her is that she likes to explain things. The problem with that is she's a **magic god**, meaning she is extremely knowledgeable about a ton of things.

So yeah, if I want to do this properly then it would involve a good amount of research since disalogue between Kamijou and Othinus will always involve an explanation on something.

**Research Trivia:**

As stated on the discussion above, Othinus' characterization for this fic was a problem as well as her powers and abilities. In order to help remedy this, I decided to just do some research on norse mythology.

Odin in the norse myths is described as a "relentless seeker and giver of wisdom and knowledge", and a patron to both rulers and outcasts. Most likely the basis for her rule of Gremlin (an organization that doesn't conform with the separation of science and magic), the fact that she's knowledgeable about most things, and her established likeness for explaining.

Combined with her attainment of her powers, I can really see her as the Index incarnation of Odin... albeit far more cuter. Interesting to note is that Odin is said to have prominent transgender qualities that may have been the inspiration for Othinus being female... "for the sake of moe" aside at least.

Oh and Odin speaks in nothing but poetic verses. On the other hand, Freya has a chariot driven by cats. Norse mythology is fun~

Well that's it for now. If you have any comments, suggestions, corrections, criticisms and maybe even some willingness to help me in the Norse Mythology department, please leave a review!

Can anyone guess who the girl in the end of the chapter is? Stay tuned to find out!


	4. Iteration 1-2: Static Interference

Hey, there. Nukoko here, making a quick chapter drop off.

Was swamped with schoolwork and had been stressed enough that I had to turn to writing to calm myself so I just finished this chapter.

This was supposed to be uploaded back at the end of last month but the site had been down and I've been busy since then. Thankfully it's a sunday now here and I get some few precious moments of peace before diving back into the horrors of plates, undergrad thesis, and examinations.

Author's corner at the bottom as usual but that'll be pretty short due to lack of time. Will have a more expansive one since the next chapter will have the first battle scene of the fic (one I'm looking forward to write).

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TOARU MAJUSTU NO INDEX OR ITS CHARACTERS**

**=== Stranded Together===**

"It seems like our suspicions were true…"

Othinus commented while looking at the selection the store had to offer. They've spent most of the day doing independent investigations to ascertain their current situation and had agreed to meet up at the 362 Ice Cream store located in District 7 by the end of the day.

_(It's been so long since I've even tried this stuff. Exactly what kind of obscure and exotic flavors are these?)_

She possessed great knowledge about the world but it didn't mean she knew everything. There was also a distinction between knowing something and experiencing it so the weird flavors offered in the store they were looking at was particularly interesting for her.

There were a plethora of exotic flavors that would make any ice cream connoisseur weep tears of joy.

_(Crocodile Egg Ice cream? I can understand wasabi flavored ice cream due to the culture of the country but I can only imagine what kind of outlandish story there is behind the creation of this type of ice cream…)_

"Yeah… though most of the areas I'm familiar with were pretty much the same, other places were definitely different from what I remember. I'm even sure some infrastructures are missing and some are located in completely different districts. Though for some reason, I haven't met anyone I know."

Kamijou Touma was already enjoying a simple chocolate ice cream. Despite the fact that the store had offered strange and exotic flavors, the more familiar and standard flavors were also present. Though there was a certain charm to a store that specialized in the exotic there was still a need to draw in customers who weren't as willing to break out of their comfort zone.

"That should be the case. I used Imagine breaker to restore the world you came to know however…"

"Did you think something happened and interfered while you used Imagine Breaker?"

"That's a very likely possibility"

She answered, keeping a calm and casual façade despite the growing frustration she was feeling. Not knowing, not even having the slightest idea of what or who interfered with her was gnawing at her.

She had her pride as a magic god. For someone like her to be outmaneuvered means they were possibly dealing with an enemy that was beyond even her knowledge or comprehension.

_(…and that bothers me to no end. What kind of existence could both escape my senses and my power? The only logical conclusion is another Magic God, however I'm certain that there was no other Magic God in this world aside from myself and possibly Ollerus)_

She let out a sigh and took a quick and discreet glance at her partner and knew he was well aware of her frustrations despite her calm demeanor but was being considerate enough to not point it out.

_(Hmph… honestly, would secrets even exists between the two of us when we can read each other so well? Now, I wonder what a battle with the both of us on the same side would play out?)_

She huffed at the thought, able to dispel her irritation with the amusement she felt. She wasn't able to do anything when the combined forces of the major powers in the world were pursuing them, Kamijou was able to manage by himself, but what would happen if the same occurred while she had her power?

_(With our combined force, is there really anything in this world that can outright stop us?)_

"So we really are in another one of those worlds. Similar to the ones you made for me."

She was broken out of her fantasy of world conquest by her partner's words. It had been phrased lightly and the word 'torture' was missing in that sentence.

Normal people would be feeling a sense of guilt for what she did to him and she honestly felt like she should but she was unable to feel such a thing when that infinite hell and torture she put him through was the foundation of their bond and understanding.

She had never apologized for what she did to him nor had he demanded one from her in the first place. It may have been something beyond what normal people can understand but she was confident that as far as the two of them are concerned, what had happened was in the past and there were no hidden grudges.

_(I'll protect him. He's the one existence I need to protect at all costs.)_

She's lost her world before and had spent more than a millennia trying to get it back. Now that she's found it again, she won't allow anything to happen to it.

_(I'll use every bit of power I have if I need to...)_

After working up her resolve to protect her one friend, she nodded once and proceeded to extend her hand towards Kamijou and gave him an expectant look.

The message she wanted to convey was plain and simple. She wanted him to pay for the ice cream.

Her partner took a moment to understand the look she was giving him and responded with an aggrieved look. It was a look that conveyed_ 'he was already running low and it'll get in the way of food budgets for the following days, so he's really unwilling to do it'._

She let out a sigh, shook her head slightly and gave her partner another look, one that said _'Stop worrying about such things, getting money will be easy so stop being stingy.'_

Like a married couple, they silently argued back and forth, one trying to justify spending some money on weirdly priced ice cream while the other wanted to save money for future use like a responsible mother.

It took a couple of minutes but Kamijou ultimately relented due to the unstoppable will of magic god that wants to eat something sweet.

After successfully convincing her partner, she had obtained the money and smiled smugly and triumphantly while giving her order to the store clerk. The deep dejection in the reduction of their funds her partner was experiencing was only further accentuated by the store clerk who was clearly barely restraining her laughter from their little byplay.

_(Hmmm…. Quite unique in texture. It seems like I've been missing out on some things. It'll be nice to try out the new experiences this world has to offer)_

Having won the silent negotiations, she celebrated her victory by enjoying her exotic ice cream before continuing the conversation, noting the creamier and thicker texture of the ice cream in comparison to the others she's tasted.

"Yes, that should be the case right now. You've already personally confirmed that several details in this world is different from what you remember, furthermore there's the fact that the world we are in now doesn't even know of what I've done."

Despite Kamijou's current state they resumed the important discussion.

"Yeah… There weren't even any signs of Gremlin…"

It was one of the first things they were able to confirm. The world wasn't on high alert, there was no combined force trying to hunt down Othinus, and there wasn't even any news pertaining to any trouble in Tokyo despite the destruction that had occurred during the creation of Gugnir.

In fact whether it was Radiosonde Castle, the volcanic eruption in Hawaii, Baggage City, or the struggle for Fraulein Kreutune, no traces could be found that such large incidents had occurred in anyway.

As far as this world was concerned, no organization such as Gremlin or Magic God Othinus had ever even existed.

_(The implications of that one detail alone is frightening)_

"I'm at least certain that the members of Gremlin should exist. I've met some of them before I created Gremlin so I have means of contacting them if necessary. However right now we don't know what we're dealing with so we can't act rashly. At the very least our enemy, assuming he or she exists, is someone capable of escaping the senses of a magic god and actively interfering with their power."

She could see Kamijou grimaced at the thought of an enemy that even a magic god like her couldn't perceive. If there exists and enemy beyond even a Magic God then even she honestly had no idea what kind trouble they'll have to deal with.

"Well right now we need to be careful, at least until we understand enough that using my power as a magic god wouldn't create any negative and lasting effects on the world."

The problem of having far too much power was the fact that even the slightest mistake could lead to extreme consequences. Both of them were taking careful steps so they've yet to turn to the use of Othinus' power as magic god until they've gotten a good and proper grasp of their situation.

_(Once we determine the cause I can work on restoring the world using imagine breaker. Though without Gugnir or even the fairy spell however, I wouldn't have perfect control…)_

"Is it fine that we're talking about all this in the open?"

"There shouldn't be any problem. Any normal person unrelated to either of us would simply ignore it, anyone who actually takes interest is a suspect that we can draw information out of."

"Then I guess—"

Without warning the store clerk that had been serving them had dropped everything she was holding and evacuated the area. Everyone within the store seemed to follow.

"… a people clearing field?"

Her partner commented as he was finishing his chocolate ice cream. She responded while trying to finish her own.

"A rather strong one at that. Looks like we have our suspect."

A people clearing field was usually something that took effect over a length of time, diverting the flow of people away from a certain area and compelling people already in the area to feel discomfort and leave. Seeing as she hadn't detected some magical activity then the spell used to create the field was powerful enough to take an immediate effect, one similar to an orderly emergency evacuation of an area.

"I don't know who's targeting us but at least they have no intention of involving random bystanders"

"That or they're trying to conceal their actions. Either way, we'll need to take the opponent down and have them answer some questions."

Despite an impending attack from their enemy, they had remained calm though Kamijou seemed to be worrying about his misfortune kicking in soon enough.

They finished their food and moved out of the store, walking towards the nearest open space.

**=== Stranded Together===**

"The target and his companion are approaching the plaza. ETA is in 5 minutes"

She heard her assistant's, Mark Space, report through her phone. Though it was often useful to use magic as a means of communicating to prevent electronic interference and wiretapping, she found it too troublesome for the current situation and went with mundane methods.

"Good work. I've been raring to get that idiot for a while now. Who the heck does he think he is? Disappearing on me like that… not even bothering to call. Well _It looks like I'll finally get some closure for what had happened_. Keep tracking the target, I'll be preparing for an explosive opening attack… well, something like that won't be enough to hurt the idiot but he needs to understand that I won't be playing around."

She stood up from the bench and checked her armaments. The tarot deck that holds the cards of the major arcana, her flintlock pistol, and her symbolic weapon.

"Roger. Ah… it seems we have **a few more people **inside despite the field working in full power. What's our course of action?"

"Increase the output of the spell. If that doesn't work, let them be. Anyone capable of ignoring the effects at such a level are probably aware of the situation, it's highly unlikely that they'll interfere. In the case that they're not, then they'll simply suffer the punishment of being foolish enough to stay in a field of battle."

There were a good amount of people that could be targeting them during the confusion but anyone with a hint of competence wouldn't be stupid enough to make an enemy out of the boss of one of the most prominent magical cabals in the world or Imagine Breaker.

Kamijou Touma may not be aware of it but he had connections to nearly every major power in the world and a good amount of them were willing to take action if he was ever truly put in harm's way. She and her cabal happened to be a good example of that.

"Has there been any information about the companion he has?"

They had been trying hard to obtain any information on the blonde girl that had been seen with their target. It didn't take a genius to guess that the blonde girl wearing the insanely revealing outfit was a magician.

Fashion wasn't quite as important in the world of magic unless it was being used to invoke a concept or be used in someone's magic. In the blonde girl's case, it was likely that both were true.

"None. There are currently no records of her abilities or even her identity."

"So a complete unknown? I can understand information being well hidden and guarded, but information being completely absent is quite a feat."

She tapped her feet on the ground as she tried to understand the implications of such a thing. It was next to impossible to erase every single trace of information existing about someone in the modern world. One way or another, you'd leave behind a trail that can be followed, be it reports on sightings or receipts when buying something.

"Keep investigating. At least she won't be a dangerous existence if the idiot is calmly and casually spending his time with her… though she is a possible threat in a completely different matter…"

It was likely that the girl with Kamijou was simply another person he saved and had been the cause of his disappearance. Actually, it was the only conclusion that could be made about the girl.

"Target is nearing the plaza. ETA is 1 minute"

"Guess it's time. Give me their exact coordinates."

She walked to the center of the plaza and kept an eye on the direction they were expected to enter. She raised her hand and prepared for an attack.

"_It's show time" _

The next second, the whole area was covered with explosions.

**=== Stranded Together===**

"Fuah…!"

She fell to the ground from the sudden explosion. She had been struggling to find Kamijou Touma, having found his dorm room empty and not a single one of his classmates knowing where he was.

She had been about to give up when she had spotted her target walking with a beautiful blonde foreigner wearing what could only be described as a witch in a fetishistic ribbon bikini.

She had to rub her eyes a few times to make sure she wasn't delusional but the blonde girl with Kamijou really was wearing such a revealing thing.

The fact that there was someone willing to wear such a thing in public worried her greatly. The fact that Kamijou seemed to be completely at ease despite his companion's state of dress worried her even more.

She found it odd that no one else seemed to think the blonde foreigner was out of place despite her attire but she had no time to consider the implications.

"Exactly what kind of company did does Kamijou-chan keep?! Is this it?! Is that girl the reason why Kamijou-chan has gone astray?!"

***BOOOOM***

"Wahhhh, waaaahhhh!?"

Another explosion occurred. Anti-skill didn't seem to have taken action.

In fact, she suddenly felt like the area was strangely devoid of people.

She felt a strange need to leave the area earlier for some reason but had been able to ignore the thought due to her worry for her Kamijou-chan.

"W-Waiiiiiit! Kamijou-chan is in there!"

Without even hesitating, she had bravely charged into the heart of the scene.

"Kamijou-chaaaaan!"

**=== Stranded Together===**

The two of them were greeted with an explosive welcome and a scene of devastation.

_(That technique… well if its Birdway then there's at least there's hope of resolving this without some kind of epic magical battle)_

"You know, I'm feeling a bit inadequate here. I know full well that my 'Summoned Explosion' couldn't really do much against you but I was at least sure it would get you riled up…. Exactly when had you learned to stay calm in the face of an overwhelming attack? You're making me lose confidence here you know."

It was a warm and casual greeting.

The figure that stood in the center of the plaza was a young blonde girl, dressed in a chic white dress and black stockings. Her words, actions, and calm demeanor completely betrayed her young appearance.

Her name was Leivinia Birdway, the young boss of the magic cabal called the Dawn-colored Sunlight.

"You disappeared for a quite a bit you know? Do you have any idea how worried I was? Not a single trace of you could be found no matter how much we tried to search… exactly where had you been and what had you being doing since then?"

_(Was she… always this open with me? No wait, she's being friendly but she's ready for a fight at any moment. I can dispel her explosions and magic but that flintlock pistol will be trouble…)_

She continued her questions, never moving from her spot while he and Othinus approached. It was clear how badly worried she was and she didn't bother to hide it. Despite that however, she was poised to draw her pistol or transform her wand at any time.

The two of them stopped a few meters away from Birdway before he responded.

"Well a lot of things happened… any chance we can just talk this out?"

_(She's reasonable, far more so than most people I know. She wouldn't just man an attack without any proper justification. I need to know what the reason for her action is first)_

"That would've been the case normally. There's probably a legitimate reason why you disappeared and fell off everyone's radar. It probably involved saving someone and resolving some kind of conflict, that's the way you are after all…"

Birdway had an uncharacteristically happy and gentle smile as she described Kamijou's most endearing and yet most troublesome aspect. The look of relief she had upon seeing him up close actually disturbed him a bit.

_(… No, there's something off here. There's definitely something out of place. We're friends yes, but she wasn't the type to smile like that at me)_

He was completely on guard due to the lack of hostility being directed towards him. In fact he was slightly disturbed that Birdway was being so honest with him.

Birdway then sent a glare towards Othinus thought the magic god responded with a bored expression.

"Honestly, I was truly relieved when I heard you came back… but mind telling me who this one is?"

Birdway's voice went from warm to frigid as she addressed Othinus. She didn't bother to hide her hostility.

His brain went into overdrive thinking of their current situation.

_(Alright, alright Kamijou Touma. We are clearly in a very delicate situation here. It doesn't look like she knows Othinus at all since she hasn't prepared anything to take her on… but why is she so openly hostile towards her? The wrong answer here might lead to the worst possible outcome so let's play it safe and just introduce her.)_

He, despite what most people believed, was actually receptive to the moods of the females around him. He failed to understand the cause but he at least knew when something was clearly wrong and that his words could very well incite the worst case scenario.

"W-well this is Othinus…"

He nervously introduced the magic god, getting proper confirmation on the fact that even Birdway had no idea who Othinus was despite the fact that she was one of the few that had actually seen the magic god in person.

"… and this Othinus girl you have with you was someone you had saved recently?"

He didn't really like were the direction of the conversation was going. He was only grateful that Othinus was letting him do the talking instead of taking action.

Not knowing what to say in the current situation, he simply responded honestly.

"Yes…"

"I see, I see… so why is this Othinus person still with you if had already resolved whatever trouble she had?"

Birdway had started tapping her foot on the ground. Othinus had her hands on her hips and was participating in an epic staring battle with her.

A battle with the two girls in question could easily level the whole city.

_(Okay… looks like I'll need to be really careful here now. She's getting impatient but lying right now would be easily seen through so I just need to answer honestly and be vague)_

"Well she didn't have anywhere to go afterwards and we're kind dealing with something as well…"

Birdway answered nodded quickly, having already predicted each of his responses. When she had shown a bright and kind smile right afterwards was when he had realized something.

_(No, those were leading questions. She already knew every answer I had… that means the real questions is about to be brought up. Alright Birdway, ask away! This Kamijou Touma had already levelled up from a massive amount of grinding hell mode!)_

He prepared himself, already trying to imagine the type of questions Birdway would ask, formulating possible answers in his head. He was determined to end this on a peaceful note and he was at least relatively confident that he would succeed.

"I understand…. Yes, that's completely reasonable. So… any reason why you hadn't bothered to ask for my help or at least inform me?_** As your fiancé**_, I think I at least have the right to be informed hmmm?"

"Eh… like I said, a lot happened and we didn't have enough ti- Eh….?"

At that moment, he felt like a nuclear bomb was dropped on him.

He had to take several deep breaths before he could even start thinking coherently again.

_(Wait, Back up, rewind, reveeeeerse! There was a very weird word in that question! She misspoke… no… I probably just somehow misheard! Please let that be the case!)_

Time seemed to frozen as silence prevailed in the area. It seemed it only takes 3 words to completely put the existence called Kamijou Touma in complete disarray.

There silence seemed to be going on for an eternity. He even felt like there were hundreds of eyes currently looking at him, silently judging, some indignant, while others were supportive, yet he felt like he had been dealt with a situation far beyond what his experience could help him adapt to easily.

"W-w-w-what was that? Did you just say…"

Kamijou stammered, hoping to whatever deity watching over him that he simply misheard. He wanted to properly clarify Birdway's words.

The genuine look of worry and confusion on Birdway's face as she witnessed his flustered response pretty much told him that hoping was utterly idiotic.

"Exactly why are you so flustered? Have you so conveniently forgotten _**our engagement**_? I can get you being too pre-occupied with your usual antics but _**forgetting your own fiancé**_ is a bit much isn't it?"

Having heard Birdway talk about their apparent engagement had dashed any hope of mishearing. The fact that Othinus had broken off the staring contest with Birdway to give him a disgusted look wasn't helping at all.

_(Engagement!? She's my fiancé?!)_

He was barely holding himself together from the shocking plot twist that had just occurred but he held on to coherent thought. The words were barely even sinking into his brain.

It was the magic god's words that struck the figurative wooden stake right into his fragile heart.

"You understand that's a crime regardless of who you ask? I'm quite sure this girl is genuinely underage instead of only appearing like it."

"W-wait, I don't know anything about this! I don't get what's happening here eitheeeeer!"

He attempted to defend himself. He held up his hands, trying to clearly convey that he was in fact not engaged with a twelve year old girl. The maturity and power Birdway had weren't enough to justify or make up for the fact that he would be treated as a real life lolicon.

The fact that there were people who already viewed him as such from his usual company wasn't known to him.

Ignorance was certainly bliss.

_(This doesn't even make seeeeense. What kind of world would even have events that would lead to this kind of relationship?!) _

"… You… don't know anything about it? No… from how you phrase it, it seems that to you, the fact that we're engaged or the events that led up to it had never happened…"

Though most girls would justifiably be furious in the face of the fact that their fiancé had completely forgotten about their engagement, Birdway on the other had reacted differently. There was no angry shouting or throwing of random objects, there was imply silence.

Birdway closed her eyes and assumed a thinking pose, trying to consider every possibility.

When she opened her eyes, she looked at Kamijou with a piercing stare, like she was searching the very depths of his soul.

"I see… it's definite that you don't remember. If so you would've reacted differently. Your current actions, your body language while in my presence, is completely different from normal. In fact, it's largely similar to when we weren't intimate with each other…"

_(I-I-intimate!? W-w-w-w-hat intimacy is that?! How did it happen?! Was a love letter involved? There was a love letter involved wasn't there?! I hope a bunny or nurse outfit didn't come into play or I'll definitely be treated as a criminal!)_

The last word in her statement made Kamijou flinch and Othinus' judging glare at him to intensify. He was already in full panic mode and was finding it difficult to calm down.

"Yes… it's likely that _you don't remember anything that has happened between us._ Which would explain your actions. However you have no physical injuries to speak off and your immunity to magic means no healing spell can ever really work. Any head trauma or injury capable of inducing memory loss to that extent should be serious enough to admit you to a hospital… but there are no known records here in academy city, the only place that can properly treat you."

The calm way she analyzed the possible causes of Kamijou's inability to remember their engagement spoke volumes of how much this version of Birdway knew him. She understood that he was neither the type that casually philandered nor was he the type to lie about such things.

"Though your right hand can dispel even the miracles of god, it isn't something that can grant complete and absolute immunity to magic. Yes, it isn't like you're completely immune to mental attacks of magical nature. So I understand what had happened now…."

Birdway drew her symbolic weapon, currently taking the form of a wand and pointed it towards Othinus.

_(T-this is bad. This chain of events will definitely need to some kind of weird tragedy!)_

"A magic that induces selective memory is likely in play here. That or something that tricks you into believing something as the truth, similar to the likes of the Document of Constantine."

The anger Birdway was concealing as she slowly came to her conclusion had become apparent. This version of Birdway was truly treating Kamijou as a precious and important existence that she could call her fiancé.

"The logical conclusion is _that this stripper _over here had done something to you or is at least related to what had happened. Step aside Touma, I need to have a **good, long talk** with that stripper friend of yours"

Birdway had no means of knowing the facts. She had no idea about Gremlin, Othinus, and the things that have taken place nor was she aware that she was in some kind of alternate world. She had reached a perfectly reasonable conclusion given the facts she could confirm and validate.

That's why Kamijou couldn't readily stop her.

"Utter a single spell and I will end you. Make no mistake here child, the only reason I haven't bothered taking you down is because he treats you as a comrade. That is the_ only reason_. Don't try your luck. Such a thing has no meaning against a god."

Othinus on the other hand, had no such reservations. She didn't even hesitate to exert pressure through a display of her power as a magic god.

_(Othi-chaaaan, magic god-samaaaa, please don't make this situation any woooooorse!)_

Unfotuntately for him, it seemed that Othinus wasn't willing to simply let Birdway keep talking.

To Birdway's credit, she remained calm in spite of the absurd pressure her body was being subjected too.

"_A god?_ That's quite the arrogance you have there. Tell me, if you truly were a god, what trouble would you encounter that would make my fiance's intervention?"

"Problems beyond your comprehension of course. _A child like you_ wouldn't understand such complex things."

"Heh, you've been calling me a child but you aren't much better. At least I have the decency and common sense to _actually wear proper clothing._ I wonder, how much you charge for special services?"

"Oh I'm far older than you and I'll have you know my clothing holds meaning. Though my body is certainly youthful, _I'm at least more developed_. Are you sure the two of you really are engaged? That body of yours isn't exactly his type you know."

"_What was that you damn stripper?!"_

"You heard me brat, if you want to get beaten so badly then I'll oblige."

"W-wait, let's all just calm down here…"

The verbal spar was volatile on many levels. Kamijou was racking his brains for any way to stop the most dangerous cat fight the world could witness but his words were completely ignored.

An epic magical battle was pretty much unavoidable at this point.

He needed a distraction, something that could help divert everyone's attention long enough for him to dispel their hostility.

Without knowing it however, he was already making it even worse.

"Touma, know that I love you but… why the hell are you protectively covering for her?!"

For the first time in the conversation, Birdway seemed to have actually lost her calmness and had shouted out while pointing her wand at him.

There were three words in that statement that made his heart do complex acrobatic maneuvers inside his chest. No normal teenage boy would be able to not have their heart beat when a beautiful girl would express their love without hesitation.

In his defense, it wasn't that he was favoring Othinus over Birdway in particular. It's just that he had still not properly adjusted to the fact that Othinus wasn't depowered or dying anymore. It was only recently when he had had to defend the magic god and had found Birdway in the opposite side of the battlefield.

"… I appreciate that you're not even hesitating to defend me but do remember that I'm at full power so if anyone's going to be doing the protecting, it'll be me. Stand down, you've already fought too many of my battles."

The relief and gratitude in Othinus' voice coupled with his momentary hesitation in moving from the spot that let him shield the magic god, as well as the look of worry he shot towards Othinus seemed to have been the final straw for Birdway.

"Y-you… hehehehehe…. You disappear without warning, you completely forget about my existence, and now you're happily flirting with this foreign stripper! Exactly how far are you going to test my patience?!"

"Wait, Birdway, at least let me properly explain-"

"IT'S TOO LATE FOR THAT NOW YOU IDIOT!"

The mass buildup of telesma made both him and Othinus take action. However, at the very same moment, it seemed the misfortune that had been building up since he had awoken had finally bore fruit.

Right at the entrance they had taken to the plaza was a familiar figure. One he met up with often when he spent his semi-normal days in Academy City.

"Kamijou-chan?! I've finally found you! Where have you been?!"

She was a small girl, only 135 centimeters in height, baring cute pink hair and eyes. She looked like a child and acted like one but was an actual full grown adult that worked as his homeroom teacher.

She was Tsukiyomi Komoe and she was about to get caught up in a massive amount of magical explosions.

"""….?!"""

**KSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

**BZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT**

**KSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

**KSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

**=== Stranded Together===**

**Author's corner:**

The answer to the question of the mystery girl shown trying to find Kamijou from the last chapter waaaaas Komoe-sensei! Anyone that guessed that in their mind gets a free imaginary Othinus figma! It comes in any pose and in any costume you want her to wear, you pervert you!

Well okay, now for a quick answer to reviews posted last chapter. Sorry, will give better ones next time.

**Answer to reviews:**

**Mad Random Writer:** Thank you, it's been a typhoon of schoolwork and documents. Will update again really soon.

**Mr. Self-Deprication**: Seria(l) Kumokawa is a character I'm fond of and I'll probably even give her her own arc. Also, that name gives me a lot of ideas.

**SilverIceRing:** Apologies for the massive delays, I'll try for at least a monthly upload. I'm glad that I'm able to emulate the feel of the novels, hopefully I can keep it up. Will update again soon.

**Naruhinasakufan1:** As shown in this chapter, they are currently stranded together in an alternate world that was not made by Othinus.

**Punitor567:** It's been ages since I went back to that site and though I really want to confirm what you mean by that, I'm afraid going there would kill any and all productivity I currently posses.

**Bacon Powder:** Will-chan is also another one I'm fond off. She will definitely get her own arc for this fic.

**Chapter Discussion:**

Well I'll keep this one short as well...

An Othinus viewpoint was shown here, something I want to use as a contrast to Touma's. I want to establish her gradual adjustment and her current stance on the world. Her perspective as a magic god functioning as a human being will be highlighted and changes within her mindset as well as the thoughts and emotions she has will be used to slowly build and establish my interpretation of canon Othinus.

I wonder if you were blindsided by the sudden fiance card being played? The best part of having a premise where alternate worlds are explored is that I can pull shit like this and get away with it without having the characters involved called out for being completely OOC.

As to why Birdway was chosen for this development... well Birdway is my second fav female character in Toaruverse, the first being Othinus. In fact I liked her so much that there's actually an old fanfic in my archives that was written way back wherein she served as the main heroine...

Well anyway, if you asked how far I'll be abusing this alternate world premise to bring out developments like this then allow me to answer that...

_Ahahaha, believe me, there's a helluva a lot more of that shit to come._

So what did you think of this chapter? Was there anything you felt was off? Was there a particular detail you want to address? Did Komoe-sensei being the mysterious girl shown in the former chapter come to mind before reading this? Did you feel like the development shown in this chapter was too forced or stiff? Did you hate that cliffhanger back there? What costume did your imaginary Othinus figma wear?

If you have any comments, suggestions, or constructive criticism, please feel free to leave a review.

Ahh well time to get back to doing some take home plates so I'll be taking off for now.


End file.
